With rising health care costs, it is imperative that health care providers provide health services efficiently and cost effectively. At the same time, the administrative demands of medical record keeping, billing and managing a medical practice have become more burdensome. In particular, health care providers must be thorough and keep detailed records of medical exams to accurately document observations and services that have been provided.
One health care product growing in popularity is a wellness plan. The principal objective of a wellness plan is to keep a patient well. A wellness plan provides a way for a patient to pre-pay or pay on a schedule for medical services. Under a typical plan, the patient is entitled to preventative care services and discounts on other types of medical services. By establishing periodic visits at least once a year, wellness plans enable health problems to be identified and treated early. It is generally understood that the cost of healthcare rises exponentially the longer a health problem is postponed. Thus, wellness plans can drastically reduce healthcare costs by encouraging office visits that help identify and resolve health problems early.
While wellness plans are an effective means for keeping patients healthy, they are difficult and costly to administer and promote. As such there is a need for a more effective approach to managing wellness plans.